Energy Resources

Energy impacts Utah’s quality of life in many ways. Affordable energy helps maintain a lower cost of living, allowing Utah’s residents and businesses to have more flexibility in their budgets for spending, investing and saving. Additionally, energy and mineral production on public lands will continue to provide abundant opportunities for jobs and economic development in the state, especially in many …

Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements of Utah

In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey designated 35 non-fuel minerals or mineral groups as critical minerals and rare earth elements (critical minerals). Critical minerals are defined as those necessary for economic or national security and have a supply chain vulnerable to disruption. In 2020, Utah had known sources of 28 critical minerals and produced eight critical minerals including helium (used …

Utah’s Stance on the 30×30 Initiative

President Biden issued Executive Order 14008 on January 27, 2021, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” (Order). Section 216 of that Order focuses on conserving the nation’s land and water resources with the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of land and water by 2030 and is commonly referred to as the “30×30 Initiative.” On May 6, …

Wild Horses and Burros Management

The Bureau of Land Management created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility …

Watershed Restoration Initiative

Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) is a partnership-based program in Utah to improve high priority watersheds throughout the state. Now in its 15th year, WRI focuses on improving three ecosystem values: 1) watershed health and biological diversity, 2) water quality and water yield, and 3) opportunities for sustainable uses of natural resources. As citizens of Utah, we all benefit from …

Shared Stewardship

Shared Stewardship is a cooperative approach to managing Utah’s forests, the program enables land managers to confront the urgent forest health challenges that are best solved by local, state and federal cooperation. Utah’s Shared Stewardship agreement provides a framework for the State of Utah and the US Forest Service to work together in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service …

Professionalism in Cultural Resources Consulting Award (2022)

Congratulations to Richard Talbot, this year’s recipient of PLPCO’s Professionalism inCultural Resources Consulting Award. Mr. Talbot is the director of Brigham YoungUniversity’s Office of Public Archaeology. During his nearly 40 years of professionalpractice, he has made significant contributions to Utah archaeology through culturalresources management, academic research, and teaching. On February 17, his peersrecognized him as the PLPCO-permitted principal investigator whose deportment in …

Utah’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office Honored for Special Achievement in GIS

Geographic Information System Provider Esri Awards PLPCO at Virtual User Conference REDLANDS, Calif.— July 14, 2021 —Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, presented Utah’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (PLPCO) with Esri’s Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on July 12, 2021, at the annual Esri User Conference (Esri UC), which was presented in a completely virtual format. Selected from over 300,000 eligible candidates, PLPCO received …

Chief justice offers encouragement for monuments reform

Originally posted to the SL tribune. Two weeks ago, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts offered a fascinating and unexpected commentary on the Antiquities Act, the 1906 law that allows presidents to create national monuments without congressional approval. His words startled some in the environmental community and heartened those of us who are troubled by the way presidents have …